It is usually made of a rectangular wooden board with rounded edges and two cutaways to form a handle by which it can be swung. The paddle may be the only spanking implement commonly left on public display, i.e., the emblematic Greek paddles that decorate the walls of most college fraternity and sorority houses.

A Knoppler paddle, according to Mistress Penny from Strictly Leather, a British BDSM and spanking toy maker, is a short leather implement "that was used to administer punishment in schools and prisons in Germany and nearby countries. Normally 12 to 16 inches (30 to 41 cm) long and approx 5 ″ (13 cm) wide, the slapper end is shapped with a square hitting area. It is usually constructed from leather but wooden versions have also been seen. The use of the knoppler paddle has now spread worldwide and was adopted extensively in North America possibly because of immigration from Europe during the early 1930s."

Independent sources confirming the existence of an implement of this name or design in Germany or other parts of Europe have not yet been found.

Several homemade wooden paddles get a workout in "Punished Schoolgirl" (a video by Jameslovebirch).

For safety reasons, all edges of a paddle should be well rounded and the surface should be smooth and without any splinters. There are many companies in the U.S. that sell spanking paddles (see below), however it is not difficult to make a paddle yourself. You can follow e.g. these working steps:

select a wooden board of desired material, quality and thickness

saw the board to the desired width and length

plane the surface, if necessary

draw the handle and saw it out

rasp all edges, rounding them well

rasp the handle so that it feels good in your hand and gives best control

if desired, draw holes, drill and countersink them (important to avoid blisters!)

you may also want to drill a hole in the handle to hang up the paddle later